Can You Be Hypnotized?

The ability to be hypnotized is kind of like the ability to draw a picture or carry a tune: Some people have it and some don’t. It’s estimated that only 5 percent of adults are unable to achieve any kind of hypnotic state; the rest of us fall somewhere along a range of “hypnotizability.” Curious to know if you’d be susceptible? This quiz will give you an idea.

Do you have many vivid memories from your early childhood?
Yes | No

Do you tend to lose yourself in movies, books, or TV shows?
Yes | No

Do you tend to know what people are going to say before they say it?
Yes | No

Do powerful visual images ever trigger a physical sensation in you? For example, do you feel thirsty during the desert scenes in Lawrence of Arabia?
Yes | No

Have you ever zoned out while going somewhere and wondered how you’d gotten there?
Yes | No

Do you sometimes think in images rather than in words?
Yes | No

Do you ever sense when someone has entered a room, even before seeing him?
Yes | No

Do you like to look at cloud shapes?
Yes | No

Do smells evoke powerful memories for you?
Yes | No

Have you ever been deeply moved by a sunset?
Yes | No

Scoring
Give yourself one point for each “yes.”

0-2 Points
Hypnosis may not be for you. You may find it hard to enter a trance and may have trouble responding to hypnotic suggestions.

3-7 Points
You’re somewhere in the middle. While you should have no difficulty being hypnotized, you may not be susceptible to every suggestion.

8-10 Points
Not only will you have no problem going under, but you should respond well to most hypnotic suggestions. Who knows? Hypnosis may help you get through your next root canal!